Navy

Reviewer: Glen Wagenknecht
Sources/DACs/Preamplifiers: Auralic Altair G1 Music Server/Streamer
Amplifier: Audio Zone D-2
Main Speakers: Mark and Daniel Maximus Monitor Mk2 , SVS SB3000 subwoofer
Rack: Codia Acoustic Design Stage 3000 BAB
Stands: Charisma Audio Function Stands
Cables: Arkana Physical Research Loom, Audio Art SE-2 and e2 interconnects and power1 ePlus AC cable , Audio Sensibility Statement S/PDIF and Impact USB digital cables, SwanSong USB cable
Resonance Control: EquaRack Footers, IsoAcoustics L8R130, Aperta and L8R200 SUB speaker stands
Powerline conditioning: Entracte Audio by Design EF130
Room treatment: Inity Acoustics Sound Absorption Acoustical panels
Listening Room: 12' x 17'
Review component retail: ~$3'500

Hello from Canada. "Hello Srajan, how are you holding up? I see a new photo of you on the website but that's not the spry youth I remember. Must be a fake photo. In a strange quirk of fate I've been asked to break in a new flagship tube linestage from Galion Audio called the Navy. It slots in above their present unit [above – Ed.] and is manufactured for them by Doge in China. Apparently it's the first unit from the assembly line so not yet reviewed or heard. If you're interested—or bored—I'd be happy to send listening notes on it as it matures; with iPhone photos of course since the fine camera equipment retired. Best wishes from the 51st state of America." That was former contributor Glen Wagenknecht whom health reasons had 'retired' from regular writing a few moons ago. Now fate had dropped an ambitious valve preamp into his lap to reawaken old audiophile impulses. I told him that anything he felt moved to pen, be it a full-length formal review or a shorter informal riff, I'd be thrilled to publish. When the muse calls, we must respond while we can. And when Glen already saw himself annexed to the EOT—empire of Trump—time was clearly of the essence.

Galion operate from Quebec under the baton of Thomas Tan, creator and host of the Thomas and Stereo YouTube channel and contributor to The Absolute Sound. Reviewing gave him an overview of what's available. His own gear is in response to that and covers a market segment he clearly felt was poorly served. Here's what Thomas has on the Navy: "It uses four Psvane 12AT-S, the best I can get as an OEM; 12 higher-end Clarity CMR caps; 2 Jupiter VitaminQ caps, 2 Jupiter custom caps and four Jupiter paper-wax caps; one Solen cap; 2 Mica caps; custom transformers and more. I went for high-quality parts and even the hookup wiring is carefully selected." Where his P75 4-tube pre is $1'849, the $3'500 Navy nearly doubles budget to afford still more boutique parts. Already the model name suggests the whole armada enchilada. – Ed.

The chassis and features are identical to the P75. The differences live within.

A short preamble. I've been out of the game for a while and technology moves ever forward. My preamplifier references are outdated and in some cases, historic artifact. My last tube pre was the stunning Audio Space Reference 2S, a Rolls Royce calibre 300B heavyweight. I have no experience with Galion Audio's current TS P75 line stage so cannot make comparisons, except to state that it has been well received. My only small experience with Galion Audio is with their integrated amplifier. That was under show conditions but I still walked away impressed. The yet-to-be-released Navy landed in my lap through fortuitous circumstances, with my express duty to break it in and make a few comments. Thanks to an always inquisitive and generous hearted editor-in-chief, that situation obviously evolved. With that out of the way, let's start.

Galion Audio have quickly become something of a media darling in our community. Owner, golden-eared audiophile and fellow reviewer Thomas Tan has enlisted the established talents of Doge, a highly regarded designer and OEM manufacturer in China, to build his electronics to his specifications. Galion's basic formula is simple. Design a very good circuit, lavish it with premium components chosen by both measurements and ear to make audible improvements and surround it with understated solid enclosures, then peg the price point at accessible rather than boutique heights. This approach has been applied to a full catalogue of products, many of which have been adopted as benchmarks by both reviewers and manufacturers. Mr. Tan doesn't rest on his laurels and is constantly looking to improve and expand. Galion's current TS P75 line stage has already garnered critical and commercial success but the new flagship Navy aims to take that standard to the next level by employing even higher-grade parts and making cosmetic upgrades. Will his new powerful and posh Navy create further benchmarks in the audiophile community? Time will tell. My duty here is simply breaking in fresh product and making casual observation.

The Galion preamp was introduced into a system normally fed direct from an Auralic G1 streamer/server/DAC/Pre's digital 32-bit on-chip potentiometer. The overall system balance in direct configuration steers toward engineering neutral with a hint of warmth to prevent sterility. Frequency capability is wide bandwidth with some room lift in the bottom octave in the current speaker positioning on the short wall. For this exercise the Auralic acted as source for the Navy which fed an AudioZone D-2 amplifier into a pair of Mark & Daniel Maximus Monitor MkII speakers. An SVS SB-3000 did subwoofer duty crossed in at 30 cycles. The additional interconnect was provided by identical Arkana Research cables. This paved the way for a classic bypass test. Any differences in sound could be attributed to the inclusion of the Galion – at least in theory. Did the Navy act as a perfect pass-through device? No. Okay, end of evaluation. Pack up the unit. But wait, adding a preamp into the circuit is by definition additive. This can be defined as character. If tubes are on your short list, isn't character what you're looking for?